Rada excludes Russian language from the European Charter: what changes the decision and which languages are protected
3 December 2025 20:09
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed a law that officially removes Russian and the so-called “Moldovan” languages from the Ukrainian act of ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The decision was supported by 264 MPs.
This was reported by MP Volodymyr Viatrovych, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The document approves an updated – and correct – translation of the Charter, which does not mention Russian or “Moldovan” language. This means that Russian no longer has separate guarantees and a special protection regime under this international instrument in Ukraine.
How the list of languages is changing
Despite the removal of Russian, the Charter continues to cover all the languages that were previously on the list, and is also expanded. The law adds seven new languages to the list of protected languages: Uruma, Rumeika, Roma, Czech, Krymchak, Karaite, and Yiddish.
According to Vyatrovych, the decision brings Ukrainian documents in line with the authentic text of the Charter and eliminates inaccuracies that existed due to translations of previous years.
What it means in practice
The updated framework for the application of the Charter actually changes the status of the Russian language: from now on, it is not subject to the special recommendations and protection mechanisms that the document provides for regional or minority languages.
At the same time, the expanded list of minority languages may provide a broader legal basis for supporting cultural and linguistic communities traditionally living on the territory of Ukraine, particularly in the south and east.
